On-the-spot DNA analysis to test tolerance to prescription drugs gets closer
Imperial College London and its spinout company DNA Electronics have developed a prototype healthcare device that assesses whether patients are genetically predisposed to suffering adverse reactions to prescription drugs.
Imperial College London and its spinout company DNA Electronics have developed a prototype healthcare device that assesses whether patients are genetically predisposed to suffering adverse reactions to prescription drugs.
They are now carrying out trials in partnership with Pfizer on the handheld device to test its effectiveness in predicting whether patients will respond adversely to medication
Each year, the UK's NHS spends £460m (Euro 514m) to treat 250,000 patients who are admitted to hospital suffering adverse reactions to prescribed medication such as antidepressants or statins. A test to identify those likely to react badly to prescribed medication could enable doctors to tailor dosages and drugs to the individual needs of each patient.
The device undergoing trials is the Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Doctor, or SNP Dr. It is a portable technology that analyses genetic variations and gives fast, accurate spot test results for specific DNA sequences.
In particular, researchers are exploring how the SNP Dr might detect genetic sequences linked with metabolism. A slow metabolism can make drugs stay in the body longer, causing adverse side effects, while a fast metabolism can process medication too quickly for it to have any effect.
Saliva or cheek swab samples are placed in a cartridge and exposed to the silicon chip sensors inside the device. A copy of the fast or slow metabolic SNPs is contained in the chip. If a match is detected, a message is displayed on the SNP Dr's console and the physician can then prescribe dosages and treatments accordingly.
According to Dr Leila Shepherd, chief technology officer of DNA Electronics, the introduction of the SNP Dr could pave the way for new types of drugs to reach patients in the future. "At the moment, some cancer drugs are deemed uneconomical because they only work for a certain subset of patients," she said. "If doctors had a method of screening patients to see whether these drugs work, then suddenly these therapies would be more cost effective to use."
The £1.2m (€1.3m) project is part-funded by the Government's Technology and Strategy Board. The partnership will see Imperial and DNA Electronics providing the scientific and product development team with Pfizer providing expertise on SNPs, clinical samples, pharmaceutical sector knowledge and feedback as a potential end user of the product.